Strong Kobayashi | |
|---|---|
ストロング小林 | |
 | |
| Born | Shozo Kobayashi 25 December 1940 (1940-12-25) |
| Died | 31 December 2021(2021-12-31) (aged 81) Ōme, Tokyo, Japan |
| Other names | Strong Kongô |
| Occupations | Professional wrestler, actor, railway workerProfessional wrestling career |
| Ring name(s) | Fukumen Taro The Korean Assassin Shozo Kobayashi Strong Kobayashi |
| Billed height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) |
| Billed weight | 125 kg (276 lb) |
| Billed from | "Korea" (as The Korean Assassin) |
| Trained by | Isao Yoshiwara Matty Suzuki |
| Debut | 21 July 1967 |
| Retired | 1 March 1992 |
Shozo "Strong" Kobayashi (Japanese:ストロング小林, 25 December 1940 – 31 December 2021), also known by thestage nameStrong Kongô, was a Japaneseprofessional wrestler and actor. He is known for his appearances withInternational Wrestling Enterprise andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling, as well as his appearances on television series includingChoudenshi Bioman andTakeshi's Castle.[1]
Born inHongō,Tokyo, at the age of three Kobayashi's family wasevacuated toŌme, Tokyo, as a result ofWorld War II.[2][3] As a youth he participated inweight training andbodybuilding, training at the Korakuen Gym.[3] After leaving high school, Kobayashi worked forJapanese National Railways atInagi-Naganuma Station until being spotted at a bodybuilding event and recruited as a professional wrestler in 1966 at the age of 25.[1][2]
Kobayashi trained as a professional wrestler under Isao Yoshiwara and Matty Suzuki at theInternational Wrestling Enterprise Dojo.[4] He made his debut on 21 July 1967 at the age of 26 for International Wrestling Enterprise, wrestling under amask as "Fukumen Taro" ("MaskedTaro");[1][5][6] he was reportedly the first ever Japanese professional wrestler to perform under a mask.[2][7] In 1968, he unmasked and began wrestling under his real name.[1][8]
Kobayashi made his first foray out of Japan in November 1968, travelling toAberdeen, Scotland to wrestle for Relwyskow & Green Promotions.[8] In 1969, he travelled to Germany, where he performed for Internationaler Berufsringkämpfer-Verband. He won his first title in May 1969, teaming withToyonobori to defeat Ivan Strogoff andJean Ferré in theÉlysée Montmartre inParis, France to become the inauguralIWA World Tag Team Champions (the titles were vacated in January 1970). In July 1969, Kobayashi returned to Japan, where he tweaked his ring name to "Strong Kobayashi".[9] On January 1, 1970, in Oita, he pinned Monster Roussimoff, who later became known asAndre the Giant. This would not be his only pinfall victory over Andre.
In November 1970, Kobayashi travelled to the United States where he began wrestling for theAmerican Wrestling Association (AWA).[10] In June 1971, he defeatedDr. Bill Miller inDuluth, Minnesota to win theIWA World Heavyweight Championship. Later that month, he lost aloser leaves town match toThe Crusher, subsequently returning to Japan and International Wrestling Enterprise.[5][11][12]
Over the following two-and-a-half years, Kobayashi defended the IWA World Heavyweight Championship against a series of various challengers includingBlackjack Lanza,Red Bastien,Baron von Raschke,Dusty Rhodes,Crusher Lisowski,Curtis Iaukea,Billy Robinson,Édouard Carpentier,Ivan Koloff,Dick Murdoch,Mad Dog Vachon, andRusher Kimura.[11][13][14] On May 6, 1972, he pinnedAndre the Giant again in the fourth IWA World Series Final in Morioka, Japan. In July 1972, Kobayashi and Great Kusatsu won the vacantIWA World Tag Team Championship; they held the titles until April 1973 when they lost to Koloff and Vachon.[13][14] Kobayashi's reign as IWA World Heavyweight Champion ended in November 1973 when he lost toWahoo McDaniel; he defeated McDaniel in a rematch later that month to regain the title.[14] Kobayashi began 1974 with a pair of successful title defences againstBill Watts.[15] He abruptly left International Wrestling Enterprise in February 1974, vacating the IWA World Heavyweight Championship.[3]
Kobayashi made his debut with the nascentNew Japan Pro-Wrestling promotion in March 1974, challengingNWF Heavyweight ChampionAntonio Inoki in a historic match held atKuramae Kokugikan that was billed as "the Duel onGanryū-jima"; Inoki won the contest with aGerman suplex.[3] The bout drew a live audience of 16,500 and over a 20% Japanese television share.[5][12][16][17] and was named match of the year byTokyo Sports.[18] The match was significant as hitherto top Japanese professional wrestlers traditionally only faced foreign opponents, not one another,[19] leading it to be described as a "forbidden battle".[3]
Following his bout with Inoki, Kobayashi returned to the United States in June 1974, wrestling forChampionship Wrestling from Florida under a mask as "The Korean Assassin". During his time in Florida, he was managed byGary Hart and was part of Hart's villainous "Gary Hart's Army" faction. On July 15, 1974, Kobayashi lost toMike Graham in a bout in which both Graham's beard and Hart's beard were on the line. On July 23, Kobayashi was unmasked after losing toThe Bounty Hunter. On July 24, Kobayashi lost toNWA North American Heavyweight ChampionBob Armstrong in a"title versus hair" match. Kobayashi left Florida later that month after he andBobby Duncum lost a tag team loser leaves town match toDon Muraco andJerry Brisco. In August 1974, Kobayashi began wrestling for theWorld Wide Wrestling Federation, where his opponents includedAndré the Giant,Pedro Morales,Chief Jay Strongbow,Victor Rivera,Larry Zbyszko,Tony Garea, andWWWF Heavyweight ChampionBruno Sammartino; during his tenure, he occasionally teamed withKiller Kowalski. He left the WWWF in November 1974 to return to Japan.[15]
Kobayashi returned to New Japan Pro-Wrestling in December 1974, unsuccessfully challenging Inoki for a second time in the Kuramae Kokugikan.[15] He wrestled for NJPW throughout 1975, competing primarily against foreign opponents such asThe Canadian Wildman,Steve Veidor,Killer Karl Krupp,Man Mountain Mike,The Hollywood Blonds,Hans Schmidt,Brute Bernard,Gilles Poisson,Greg Valentine, andTiger Jeet Singh.[20] In May 1975, Kobayashi competed in the annual World League Tournament, losing to Inoki in the semi-finals. In February 1976, Kobayashi andSeiji Sakaguchi defeated Singh and Voodoo Malumba in the finals of a tournament for the vacantNWA North American Tag Team Championship. They held the titles for close to a year, losing to Singh andUmanosuke Ueda in February 1977. In October 1976, Kobayashi and Sakaguchi defeated Singh andGama Singh in the finals of the Asia Tag Team League to be crowned the inauguralAsia Tag Team Champions.[21] In July 1977, Kobayashi and Sakaguchi defeated Singh and Ueda to regain the NWA North American Tag Team Championship; in the same month, they lost the Asia Tag Team Championship to Singh and Ueda. Their second reign as NWA North American Tag Team Champions lasted until April 1979 when they lost toHiro Matsuda andMasa Saito.[22]
In April 1978, Kobayashi returned to the World Wide Wrestling Federation. During his run, he unsuccessfully challengedWWWF Heavyweight ChampionBob Backlund andWWWF World Tag Team ChampionsDino Bravo andDominic DeNucci. Kobayashi left the WWWF in June 1978, returning to NJPW.[23] In 1978 and 1980, he made brief returns to International Wrestling Enterprise, holding the IWA World Tag Team Championship a third time.[23][24]
In February 1981, Kobayashi began wrestling for theUniversal Wrestling Association inEstado de Mexico, Mexico. In March 1981, he unsuccessfully challengedCanek for theUWA World Heavyweight Championship. In June 1981, Kobayashi returned to the World Wide Wrestling Federation (since renamed the World Wrestling Federation) for a third and final run, where his opponents includeDon Muraco,Rick Martel,S. D. Jones,Johnny Rodz,Baron Mikel Scicluna and a rookieCurt Hennig.[25] In August 1981, Kobayashi returned to NJPW, facing opponents such asAbdullah the Butcher,Bad News Allen,Billy Crusher,Hulk Hogan, andStan Hansen.[26]
Kobayashi largely retired from professional wrestling in October 1981 due to a back injury.[1] In his final bout before entering semi-retirement, he teamed withYoshiaki Fujiwara to face Murdoch and Hogan.[26]
Kobayashi made a one-night return to the ring in 1984 for the Universal Wrestling Association in Mexico, teaming withBuffalo Allen and Scorpio to face Robinson,Kuniaki Kobayashi, andLou Thesz in asix-man tag team match.[27] He formally announced his retirement on 26 August 1984.[1] He wrestled his last ever match at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's twentieth anniversary show on 1 March 1992, teaming with Sakaguchi to defeat Singh and Ueda.[28]
After largely stepping back from wrestling in 1981, Kobayashi worked as a television and film actor under the stage name "Strong Kongô" until retiring in 1995.[5][2] His roles included appearaing as a henchman on the gameshowTakeshi's Castle from 1986 to 1989.[1]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Death of a Ninja | Kongôbô | |
| 1983 | Kanei Command Performance | Sekiguchi Yataemon | Television film |
| 1983 | Detective Story | Wada | |
| 1983 | Kabamaru the Ninja Boy | ||
| 1985 | Yabanjin No Youni | ||
| 1987 | The Kôsuke Kindaichi Series 6: The Perfume and Suicide | Ichisuke | Television film |
| 1987 | Guys Who Never Learn | Suzume | |
| 1988 | Dokushin Apa-to: Dokudami-sou | Iron | |
| 1989 | Fainaru Faito - Saigo no Ichigeki | Free Fighter #1 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Kagaku Sentai Dynaman | Jinzô Ningen Gon | Episode: "Seeking a New Finishing Move" |
| 1984–1985 | Choudenshi Bioman | Monster | 49 episodes |
| 1985 | Yûyake Nyan Nyan | ||
| 1986–1989 | Takeshi's Castle | Strong Kongô | |
| 1989 | Katte ni Shiyagare Hey! Brother | ||
| 1990 | Rinrin To | ||
| 1991 | Taiheiki | Big Man | |
| 1994 | Hana no Ran | Aka Oni | |
| 1995 | Hachidai Shôgun Yôshimune | Geinin |
Kobayashi wrestled in a "powerhouse" style. His finishing move was theCanadian backbreaker rack; his signature moves included theatomic drop,brainbuster,bear hug, anddiving body press.[4] He was nicknamed "Dotō no Kairiki" ("Raging Super Power").[29]
In later life, Kobayashi lived in a specialist nursing home in Ōme after becoming bedridden due to aspinal cord injury that paralyzed his lower body.[2][7] He died fromlung disease on 31 December 2021 6 days after his 81st birthday in Ōme.[2][12][17][19] Following his death, Antonio Inoki expressed his commiserations, calling their 1974 bout the best match of his career.[3][19]
